It can very well be called India’s very own wonder of the world, a vast network of sandstone caves replete with fossils that will take your breath away.
Krem Puri is located near a village called Laitsohum in the Mawsynram area of East Khasi Hills district, these caves possesses features that attract even paleontologists other than mere cave enthusiasts.
Palaeontologists believe that the fossils found in Krem Puri could belong to a giant reptile called Mosasaurus, an extinct carnivorous aquatic lizard that roamed the earth over 70 million years ago.
Meghalaya has been known for several caves hidden under its undulating hills but it now boasts of the longest sandstone cave in the world, Krem Puri. These caves have a length of 24,583 metre. Krem Puri was discovered about 2 years ago but the actual length of the cave was obtained by the Meghalaya Adventurers’ Association (MAA) during one of its recent expeditions.
According to Hindustan Times, Brian Daly Kharpran who is a founding member of the MAA said that the expedition was conducted between February 5 and March 1 this year to measure and map the Khem Puri cave.
The team that went on the expedition to measure it comprised of 30 seasoned cavers from all over the world including the Romania, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Ireland, Austria, Poland, the Netherlands and also had four Italian scientists from La Venta and members of the MAA.
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Krems, which in the Khasi language means cave, in Mawsynram. This place is also known for its record-breaking rainfall as the wettest place on earth.
The underground cavern of Khem Puri is over 6,000 metres longer than famous Cueva Del Saman in Edo Zulia, Venezuela, the world record holder, which is a quartzite sandstone cave measuring 18,200 metres. Kharpran, said that the cave had become India’s second longest, the Krem Liat Prah-Umim-Labit system being the first which lies in the Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya and measures over 31 kilometres.
Kharpran said that the exploration, which went on for 25 days, mapped most of Krem Puri, with little leads left open.
Kharpran said that the expedition this year explored and mapped over 22 kilometres of new cave passages. More than a thousand caves have been completely or partially explored in Meghalaya out of the 1,650 known caves and cave locations.
Currently, the explored caves account for only 5 percent of the total number in the state.
Sources: Financial express.
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